RockChalk44: The Erie Canal (Encore)

The last time we took Rock Chalk through the Erie, it was a strange and costly trip. It seems so long ago, but we hit so much debris in Lock 3,4, 8,9, and 10 that we did substantial damage to the boat's drive shafts and props. In fact it took us 5 more months and thousands of miles of problems to finally figure out the total damage. But that was then, and this week.....well lets say it was much nicer. Serene in fact.

The Erie can be ferocious. We saw the result all week. Two years ago, Hurricane Irene dumped 15 inches of rain into the Mohawk River valley. Then this last June, as we sat in the Hudson for 10 days, the Valley had another torrential rainstorm. The result was really devastating. The canal system was closed for six weeks. We saw most of the park area around each lock totally wiped away. Where there was once a serene park and wall to tie up to, now it was just rock. Most of the locks were being worked on. But we had a nice run through the locks. Here are some of the sights.

Lock 14. Gates on the far right were torn out. What was once a small creek on the right side of the lock is now a 20 ft. ravine. The water was 8 feet over the top of the lock wall.

Lock 2 in Waterford. This is the first lock as you head west from the Hudson River.

Probably one of the most impressive locks is Lock 17. It is the largest lift of the system at 65 ft. We were downbound, so we came into the lock when it was full. It only takes a few minutes for the lock to empty, and then the far wall lifts up instead of doors that swing open. The wall lifts up to 20 ft. over the water so the boat can motor out of the lock underneath it. Pretty cool.

The Approach to Lock 17

Going Down! Looking back to the way we came into the Lock

Open Up. You get wet as you go under that door. Watch out Shelley

You met the most interesting people on the Waterway. This gal stayed overnight at Lock 16 in her tent. She was just 4 days into her "Rowing" adventure across the entire length of the Erie from Albany to Buffalo. We did not get her name, but she was from New York City. She said she had put her apartment up for a sub-lease, and decided to take a new turn in her life....by rowing across the state!! She thought it would take 3 weeks. I asked her if she had rowed before. She said no. She started just 4 days ago when she started this little trip to Buffalo. Crazy

Good Luck. Notice the damage behind her as the water poured over this wall

It is well worth the trip. This is some of the prettiest part of our country. The Mohawk Valley basically runs east to west from Albany to Syracuse. The Canal was completed in 1825 a made New York City the key port in the US, and the canal opened up trade to the interior of the US through the Great Lakes. Then came the railroads, which still run at the canal's edge. Now I-90 is on the other side of the canal from the rail line. All in all, a perfect combination of the old and the new.